Random 4
by Starchains
Summary: Random snippets and stories based on one-word prompts. Chapter two - Ghost
1. Essay

**Essay **

Tamaki was perplexed. The new girl, Chrome Dokuro, had become a client of the Host Club. That was expected. However, she had not nominated a host, and was in fact sitting at a quiet table some distance from the rest, writing. That wouldn't do. He couldn't have any of the beautiful ladies neglected in this hall of romance! Especially such a lovely, fragile flower.

"Most beautiful rose, why do you wither away here in the dark," he began.

"It's not dark here, Suoh-sempai. I'm working on my essay for English," she told him in a quiet voice.

"Brains as well as beauty! Truly our humble club is blessed by your presence!"

"I'm glad you think so, sempai. Truthfully, this was just the quietest of the available rooms. Ootori-sempai assured me that it would be no trouble for me to simply stay and work here. Was he mistaken?" She turned away from her paper to look at him. He tried not to look away at the sight of the eyepatch. It was a distressing reminder that there were problems that couldn't be fixed with money and connections, like his own mother's health. He forced the smile – which had slipped slightly – back onto his face.

"Of course not! Kyoyo-kun is never wrong," he told her in a conspiratorial whisper.

"I did get that impression," she said. Was that sarcasm? The lovely rose had hidden thorns.

"But I would be remiss in my duties if I did not endeavour to ensure that you got the Host Club experience!" He prided himself on his club. He didn't like the idea of it being dismissed and turned into just another study hall.

"This is important, Suoh-sempai. Bossu has faith that I can excel here. I don't want to let him or Mukuro-sama down." She bit her lip as soon as she finished speaking, obviously realising that she had said too much.

He was tempted to leap on the information presented. A story of a beautiful girl engaged to a Yakuza boss, an overly controlling guardian, so many possibilities! But he couldn't bring himself to, not in the face of her obvious distress.

"I will leave you here then, most beautiful flower, and be content to admire you from a distance!"

And with that he returned to his customers, placating them with the flowery speech that the twins mocked him for, but which he genuinely enjoyed. Maybe he would keep an eye on Chrome-chan. It was always fun to meet a girl who _didn't_ swoon at the sight of him.

* * *

So here is my fourth series of random short fics based on one-word prompts!


	2. Ghost

**Ghost**

When Fran went for his annual visit to his Grandmother, he wasn't expecting anything exciting to happen. Generally, he stayed for a week, ate bad cooking, was marginally more polite than normal, and left with a sense of relief. That was how it worked, it had happened like that every year since he was seven. He was not prepared for this routine to change.

So of course it did. Why should anything in his life be stable? He was greeted by his Grandmother as he walked through the door.

"Fran, sweetie! Your Aunt Anne-Sophie and your cousin Rene are visiting, come and say hello!" she called from the kitchen, sounding happier than Fran had ever heard. He supposed that he should feel bad that she never sounded so happy about seeing him. But he wasn't happy to see her, either, so it balanced out.

Besides, he had an Aunt? He had known intellectually that his Grandmother had children, because he existed, but to be confronted with proof was startling, and moderately disturbing. A blond, Japanese looking boy was sat on the sofa in the living room, next to a pretty blonde woman.

"Grandmother! My cousin has been replaced by a Japanese boy. Do you want me to drown him in the river for you?" Why was his cousin Japanese? Wasn't it enough that at least half the Italian Mafia was Japanese? Did it have to infect his own family as well?

"Don't be silly, Fran dear." Silly? That had been a perfectly genuine offer. Kind of. To be honest, he would probably have used his illusions to make the boy drown himself instead. Much more amusing, with less physical effort.

"Rene's father is Japanese, and he lives in Japan. He's just come for a visit," she explained.

The blonde woman smiled at him. "You must be Camille's son. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Her voice was quiet and whispery. So far Fran wasn't impressed. If he had to share the house with people while they visited, couldn't they at least be superheroes or something?

"What's your name?" Rene asked, smiling brightly. He looked so honest, it was disturbing.

"I'm Fran," he said. Obviously the idiot hadn't heard his Grandmother call him earlier.

"Fran wandered off when he was seven. Almost gave me a heart attack when he came back a year later, but since then he's come back for a week every year." Grandmother said that as if it was perfectly normal. Maybe he should introduce the fake-prince to her, next time he questioned whether his weirdness was genetic.

Rene looked worried. "What happened? Why did you vanish?"

"I drowned in the lake. I'm actually a ghost who is only able to interact with humans one week out of the year." Fran told the idiot.

"A ghost!" the boy squeaked, going pale.

Huh. He knew that it was hard to tell his joking voice from his sarcastic voice, his mocking voice, his teasing voice and his disinterested voice, but he couldn't believe the boy had taken him seriously.

He grinned. Well, kind of. His mouth twitched up a little. He would be able to have fun this week after all.


End file.
